Exploring the world

Corona Virus

2020-07-11T22:44:00.001-04:00

I'm just checking in. Not much to write today except that it's the middle of a world pandemic! and unfortunately international travel is still hampered... and the US has failed to contain the outbreak. Top leadership said it'd be gone most likely by April (2020) and then it would fade away has it got hotter. Soooooo in the middle of summer we are recorder record high new infections (70+ thousand) dwarfing the peaks in April.

2017-07-14T16:17:00.001-04:00

Today I checked in at 153 lbs (70kg) after being at 170 in early May... so 10% of me is now gone. I'm going to share some things that I have been doing. I can't say with absolute proof that they work. Also note the disclaimer which ironically tells you to do what this post is about.

The scale read 153.0 lbs so 10% of me is gone before lunch time today. 17 (7.7 kg) lbs since early May. The left is me now with some distortion due to the camera lens.

Before trying to lose weight I met with my physician and a registered dietitian. I felt it was important to assess if I had any special conditions that I would need to address and make special accommodations for. What I was seeking to prevent was being frustrated or failing because of an unknown factor , or in the worst case causing harm to myself. Also, I discovered that finding out more about the consequences of obesity/being overweight has been more motivating. As an example my Asian genetic background makes me more vulnerable to obesity related co-morbidity factors at a lower level of obesity than let's say your average Caucasian.

It is unfortunate that in the country I live in, access to health care isn't easy, but I think one should if possible visit the doctor before engaging in weight loss. I hope that someday everyone in my country and the world will be able to get healthcare when they need it.

The above does not constitute medical advice and is meant for informational purposes only. Please consult a physician before engaging in any weight loss program

2015-07-18T06:12:00.000-04:00

Wow I haven't posted in a long time. This is what happens when work and school are really busy. That being said, hopefully soon I'll have some good news...

Queen Victoria market

2013-12-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

A quick piece of advice (after a year's absence).... at the Queen Victoria Market , if you want a smoke free experience avoid the bathrooms near the deli and meats/seafood section. Oh yes, the water at the sinks is hands free in that you are supposed to push a button with your thigh. There's another set of bathroom at the intersection of Queen and Therry Streets.

P.S. In this case: bathroom = restroom.

Student Concession rates

2012-12-17T07:03:00.000-05:00

If you are a foreign student - either a foreigner studying at an Australian school or a foreigner who is a student in a school outside of Australia you need to be aware of the concept of Student Concession rates. These are student discounts. But not all student discounts are equal opportunity so to speak.

Some student concession rates are only for Australians who are students (e.g. public transportation) yet other student concession rates (e.g. at museums) are open to students studying at an Australian school. I haven't really run into much in the way of student concession rates for foreigners who are studying in a non-Australian institution, I'm sure they are out there... maybe?
Addendum: 12/18/2012 Well they are alot closer than I thought... there's the Melbourne Museum which is FREE for students and the National Gallery of Victoria is free for everyone (except for the special exhibits)

The Customer Experience.

2012-09-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

If you are from Massachusetts, you might find the shopping experience different in Melbourne. You might find that there are many items where the price isn't labeled, or that are seemingly always on sale or on special, (then what is its normal price?). I have more than once encountered where an item where there are two different prices listed listed on the display. I won't argue what practices are unfair, deceptive or misleading but I'll offer an opinion on the last instance.

I kindly pointed out to the shopkeepers that they had two different prices prominently listed on display. The price tags on the individual items were at the lower price too. At which point one of shopkeepers took the item, scanned the bar code, and said it was the higher price. I offer that the difference is that in the U.S. (or in particular, Massachusetts stores), the shopkeeper might have said something like "Thanks for pointing that out to us, though it's really at the higher price, to show our appreciation we'll sell it to you at the lower price."

The advice I offer is to be prepared to be more demanding and assertive to merchants.

2012-09-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

When coming to Australia, international travellers should always have a pack of tissues or a few pieces of paper towels on them. In many airport restrooms (and many public ones too), there are no paper towels. This is probably done in an effort to be green. However, hand dryer blowers can only do so much. For instance, they can't be used to wipe your face or towel off your neck and head after a long plane ride (remember sweating on the uncooled plane while boarding). The hand blower dryer can't help clean up a bloody nose caused by dry sinuses or wipe up liquid soap that has accidentally spilled over the side of your travel bottle. I suppose one could duck quickly into a toilet stall and grab some toilet paper but who wants to rush into a smelly stall right after someone has done the no. 2 (is that roll of toilet paper really clean too?).

Winter is here or almost here depending...

2012-06-18T20:51:00.000-04:00

For Australians, the seasons start on the first of the month. Hence winter started on June 1, instead of the winter solstice for the southern hemisphere. While I have gotten used to the idea of colder weather in June (this was challenging being a northern hemisphere person), I still haven't acclimatized to the winter here - though I feel cold just looking at how the Victorians are all bundled up as if the next ice age is around the corner.

2012-06-18T05:51:00.000-04:00

A word of advice when crossing streets. Many streets do not have crosswalks and drivers "enforce" that they have the right of way. Now technically if you are crossing a street and a car turns onto your street it is supposed to give way to you by law... except many Victorian drivers don't seem to know that law.

Please save my minutes: succinct voice mail greetings and touch tone menu messages.

2012-06-18T05:47:00.005-04:00

Copyright 2012 Conan L. Hom

In this day and age, time is precious, and, as many of us transition to having only wireless phones, we also have to worry about using up our airtime minutes (yes many of us don't have unlimited plans!) Who hasn't experienced voicemail greetings or automated "touch tone" menus that are draining to both your patience and your minutes. I know personally - one time it took me 3 minutes and six seconds to wade through an automated system just to find out that I had to call back at another time.

Of course phone companies love this (except if you have an unlimited voice wireline or wireless plan). However, presumably the business you call would rather have you be a happy customer and spend more money on it than on your phone company.

If you are designing the automated touch tone menu:

1. Eliminate extra words: For example, "For service X, please press or dial 5". Dialing a number conceptually means the same thing whether you are on a keypad (touch tone) or a rotary phone. You could also use "choose" or "select" instead. Also drop the word "Please." After all, what option does caller the really have if (s)he wants to get service? Final version: "For service X, dial 5." If you have nine menu items that translates into 27 words saved (up to 20 seconds) every time the caller has to make a menu choice.

2. If the menu options have not changed in the past several weeks (which I bet is often the case), then "Please listen carefully for our menu options have changed" isn't necessary and may lead the caller to needlessly listen to entire menu options.

3. Check and test your phone decision tree: two choice stages where each have two choices means four possible outcomes - save time by having the four possibilities at one choice stage.

4. Make it so the caller only has to give his personal and/or account information once: Often automated systems require the caller to enter in account or personal information but then they don't pass it to the agent who handles the call. At this point the caller has to give the information all over again (and usually by voice which can be easily be overheard). It's tedious and makes it look like the business cannot maintain its own systems. Further more the agent now has to deal with an annoyed caller.

That being said, it isn't a bad thing to be entering in information by keypad since nowadays there aren't many private places (gone are the phone booths) where one make a call without being overheard.

Finally your friends can help out by using KISS guidelines in designing the a voicemail greeting:
The days of cutesy or creatively long greeting messages are gone...they waste the caller's air time minutes.

(1) Most phone company voicemail systems have automated messages that you can't shut off so you might as well not repeat them (e.g. "At the tone, leave a message etc. etc...").

(2) You don't have to state the obvious (or what's obviously not true): "I'm not available to take your call" (well isn't that why caller got the voicemail message?); I'll get back to you as soon as possible" (that's a lie, you'll get back to the caller when you decide you can, and the caller knows it) or "leave your name, number and a message" (usually if the caller wants a response he'll leave his contact info, won't he?).

(3) Don't elaborate when it's not needed. "I'm unable to take your call right now, I'm either away from my desk, or on another line"- isn't that essentially same as, "I'm unavailable"?

Take something long and verbose like this:
"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of X. I can't answer your call right now. I'm either away from my desk or on another line, but if you leave your name number and a brief message after the tone, I'll be sure to return your call as soon as possible. Thanks and have a nice day" [The automated voice then says, "At the tone you may leave a message" ].

You can pare it down to:

"Hello, X is unavailable" (allowing the automated message say "at the tone you may leave a message.").

You'll still communicate the essentials of a voicemail greeting. - that's a savings of over 50 words!

Victorian Police

2012-01-17T06:04:00.000-05:00

So I confirmed, when on foot the Victorian police like to patrol in threes... (and when doing nights in popular places they group in 4-6). Foot patrols in Boston seem to be in pairs. I have several theories. By grouping in pairs Boston police can cover more area and perhaps be more of a deterrent in that respect. Pairs are like what fighter pilots fly in. On the other hand the 3 person unit seems to be the standard for infantry fire teams so I guess if trouble really starts brewing the Victorian police are better for mutual support and for bringing down lots of fire but then again gun violence is much rarer in Australia. Hmmmmm

Remember to bring stamps!

2011-08-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

One of the things about living abroad that can easily be overlooked is stamps from your home country. As unlikely as it seems, you might find yourself needing vital paperwork from some home organization and that might include sending a self-addressed stamped envelope. So remember to bring some stamps and maybe a few extra small denomination stamps too - in case there's a postal rate increase that happens in your absence.

Maybe you should pay for that extra bag?

2011-05-27T03:41:00.000-04:00

When you are going to live in a far off land as a non vacationer, you have to think about daily life. And in some instances it might be worth paying for an extra piece of luggage when you first arrive or when you go back to the foreign country after visiting home. It all depends on the math.

First of all, I think the maxim "Pack only what you need" still applies when moving abroad as a non-vacationer. Packing light is less of an issue when you have found a place to live in the foreign country and you are returning to that place after visiting home.

The math part is that you need to compare prices (with the exchange rate factored in) in the foreign country and your home country. For instance, in the U.S., the sneakers I like cost $40 (US). In Australia, the same pair would cost $90 (US). Lets say with normal use you go through 4 pairs in a year. This might be an exaggeration as to the amount you would use but bear with me on this for illustrative purposes. Bringing 4 pairs from the U.S. would save $200. The cost of an extra bag? $200-250 (you should add in the cost of the bag too). With four pairs of shoes you'll probably still have another 30-35 extra pounds you can pack into the bag which hopefully you will use for items that are cheap back home but expensive abroad.

I'd suggest that extra bag be a duffel bag that you can cram into your regular allowed luggage when you visit home (thus avoiding extra bag fees).

I am not saying this technique or strategy works every time but it's worth checking out.

Chicken

2011-05-15T09:31:00.000-04:00

In the U.S., chicken wings are more expensive (per unit weight) than chicken legs or chicken thighs. In Australia, it is the exact opposite. That being said, the cultures seem to be very similar and thus presumably Australians love eating wings as much as people in the U.S. I wonder why there is such a difference.

Ordering Books in Australia and maybe elsewhere.

2011-04-19T04:45:00.000-04:00

Living abroad, as opposed to being a tourist means that probably at some point in time you will want to buy a book (if ebooks haven't taken over by this post). You might not have alot of choice if you want to buy a tourist book to send to friends and for authenticity's sake you might have to buy local. You have to admit it would be kind of cheezy to buy something that could easily be obtained online back at your friend's place of living.

Here in Australia, the price markups are huge and it isn't just GST. I've seen books that are listed for $18 US be sold at stores in Australia for $70+ AUD. If you take the strong Aussie (dollar) into account it's worse. Ahhh but now the temptation is to immediately go to Amazon.com which charges $4.99 per order and $4.99 per item shipping internationally. But you also have another option: bookdepository.com which claims to have free shipping. The thing about bookdepository.com is the prices, while nowhere nearly as bad as Australia, are often higher prices than the prices of Amazon.com - sometimes high enough to make going through Amazon.com better. It can also depend on the mix of books you want. On the other hand, strangely enough, some prices at bookdepository.com are lower than Amazon's - without even including Amazon's shipping.

So there's always the question of value of time. If money isn't that much of an object for you but you still want to feel like you are being frugal go through Amazon.com or bookdepository.com - instead of off the shelf from Australian book sellers (Sorry Readings, even you get undercut too). If you want to save even more money then I'd do the price computations between bookdepository.com or Amazon.com. Anyone have a better online store? do let me know.

The relativeness of weather.

2011-04-09T03:38:00.000-04:00

I have managed to wear long pants a grand total of 3 times since arriving on November 19th. I wore jeans one day in November (it was a mistake I ended up sweating alot), then dress slacks for a 2 hour meeting in January, and then jeans again last week but then again that was for only the morning.

It was a little strange to be walking around in shorts when you see all the Aussies wearing scarves, sweatshirts, etc. Though actually the scarves are more dressy in style here than for warmth, I did manage to look a bit out of place. You can't blame them for bundling up when the weather drops below 60F. It never snows here!

Retail: Australia vs. U.S.

2011-01-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

Now this is a very biased view but here's what I observe when you walk into a "decent sized" chain store (whatever that is but we're not talking about a specialty store where it's so small that basically the owner/operator is right there all the time).

At the entrance:
Australia: a loss prevention person is there to check your bags to see if you are shoplifting
U.S.: a person is there to greet you and to ask you "Hi how are you today..." of course this isn't simply to be nice it's to start engaging you towards making a purchase (i.e. the personal pressure is on).

In the store:
Australia: no one is around for you to ask if you have a question about a product or where to find something... they are busy at the cashier or at the entrance.
U.S.: there area a few people around to immediately ask how they can help you (note it's not a yes or no question), to immediately start backing you into a corner where social graces would indicate that you have no excuse not to buy something... When's the last time you had someone just say, "Hi, I'm _____, if you have any questions while you are here, just ask."

Background music/store theme music - both countries: really bad.

At the Cashier -
pretty much the same, except in supermarkets Australia is big on self checkout - which is incredibly slow because the loss prevention settings are set on high... it basically thinks that half the time you didn't place an item in the bagging area when you did etc. In Australia I recommend going to the cashier 99% of the time... even if you have one item and have to wait... it's that much faster. That being said, self checkout is slower than the cashier in both countries.

It would be nice if the two retailing systems could kind of meet half way in the middle.

A month

2010-12-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

This has to be quick because I really have to get some sleep... wow I've been in country for a month... it's flown and yet crawled by... I figure if I made it for a month, hopefully things will get a bit easier...knock on wood heavily. I have also counted on one hand the number of days it hasn't rained.... wow.

A quick note on Visas

2010-12-15T04:15:00.000-05:00

I learned the hard way that applying for a new visa when you are already in a country is in some ways more difficult than applying from the outside. If you are applying for a visa that will replace the one you currently have, make sure you specify when you want it to take effect... otherwise it might take effect immediately and wipe out the other one for good. Not all visas are created equal...the new one might revoke privileges (e.g. like work privileges) that you are relying upon.

Queen Victoria Market

2010-12-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

Queen Victoria Market
On the corner of Elizabeth and Victoria Streets
Open generally on Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
http://www.qvm.com.au/

The Queen Victoria Market... for all intents and purposes is awesome. While it's trading hours are from 6-2 on weekdays (except closed on Wednesday), usually the massive food sections are the ones that open at 6 and the other retail parts open later. Everything looks like a good deal... but don't jump at things immediately, the strawberries at 2 packages for 3 dollars might be undercut by a nearby vendor who is offering 2 for 2. You could bring a huge suitcase and 200 AUD and easily fill it with goodies ranging from food to wigs, to shirts, souvenies, shoes, other bags, and most any other goodies you can think of... ok so they don't sell Lawn mowers and yes you could by the really expensive item here and there... but that's not what you are at the Queen Victoria Market for. You're there for good bargains on things you need to live on and to beat the price on things you'd like to send home to friends and family (T-shirts - 5 to 8 dollars). You could easily spend a day there just to look over all that's being sold....

I will say, you should bring cash because may of the vendors don't accept credit (nor are in a position to take a card and process it - would you want someone in the meat section to handle your card with his bloody hands?).

Don't forget... Wednesday nights in the summer, part of the Market opens for fun and festivities...

I've done it

2010-12-07T05:48:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty busy getting started at moment... despite the odds I managed to find housing in 1/2 the time it normally takes - 2 weeks instead of 4... and that's with the University housing database totally breaking down and being of no use. I hope this bodes well for the rest of my stay here.

Money? it's only of use if you can get it.

2010-11-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

One thing about Australia is that it's financial operations are concentrated in the "Big four" ... no this isn't Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish and Dennis Johnson, it's something far scarier and fee based: ANZ, Westpac, NAB, and Commonwealth Bank. Even if you bank with some other bank, chances are your funds might have to go through one of the big four for funds wiring or payrolls.... So if one of them fails or has a massive computer glitch like NAB did on Wednesday (and still is having) it can cause absolute chaos... and to think somewhere in there is my pay from last week and my wire transfer from the U.S.! I'm not sure what happened is something that one should heavily plan for (e.g. don't go traveling with 10,000 dollars cash in your pocket). But do be aware... it could happen!

Getting Established

2010-11-27T02:07:00.000-05:00

Day 4 at a new place when you are intending to live there for a while is alot different than day 4 when you intend to just visit and return in a few days or a few months. When intending to live there for a while, the things you have to do you and your concerns turn to "survival" rather than just "enjoyment." If things aren't going easy, there might not be anyone to back you up or help you, and you can't simply just say, "I'll just wait a few days I'm going back." Your problems turn to how to house and feed yourself and get healthcare, rather than what's the next thing to see.... and it is far easier to become homesick when things don't come easy. You may find yourself saying in frustration: "Back in my old place/country we did things this way or that way, why can't they do things that way over here?" Why? because we want to rely on familiar things when the going gets a bit rough. Thus it's easy to feel negative about a place that is actually really nice.

It's a good idea to make a list of the things you have to do when arriving in a foreign country. Overestimate the expected time you want to get those things done. You need to allow that some routine tasks at home won't be routine at all in the new place. Above all you might feel an urgency to get all these things done (especially if the list is long) and that you are behind - even if in reality you are proceeding on or ahead of what is realistic to expect. So the proper attitude and awareness is to try to take an objective look at yourself from the outside when things don't seem well. They actually might be ok.

That being said, there are a few things you might be able to do ahead of time, if you have to move to a country like Australia that can help alot.
(1) You should try to get a tax identification number before you arrive - this will help in alot of things (including establishing payroll, bank accounts etc.).
(2) You can also establish a bank account before you arrive and have funds wired to it in advance. You probably wont be able to do anything with the funds before you walk in the bank office and show identification. However, by doing this before you arrive you might be able to save as much as a week before you can access significant funds greater than the daily limit of your atm cards - When might you need such funds? howabout when you want to rent a room or apartment/flat and you need the first month's rent with security deposit?
(3) Research the cost of some basic services (phone, internet access, etc.).
(4) Expect that house hunting might take longer.
(5) If you can find a credit card from home with no annual fees and no foreign transaction fees, bring it!!

Leaving to the Southern Hemisphere....from Boston to Melbourne

2010-11-20T06:23:00.000-05:00

11/17/2010 to 11/19/2010

I have to say this whole voyage almost got off to a bad start. I arrived splendidly on time for my flight to San Francisco (SFO), only to find out at check-in that I had been rerouted to go through Los Angeles because the flight to SFO had been delayed so much I would never had made the SFO to Sydney flight. The flight to LA however also left a good 30-40 minutes earlier and with that went my margin of safety.

I think the key to making the massive 8 hour time shift was attempting to eat as if I was right on Melbourne time. That started right on my flight to LA (of course the plane also ran out of food). I met some interesting people on the flight, including one trying to make an interview in SFO, and another person who was from South Australia but had the strongest of Gaelic accents. I also finally saw an I-Pad up close. For the third time in three round trip flights, the sound system on my seat failed.

I decided after going through the gate at LAX, to run down the boarding ramp to the plane. I figured that would be the last time I would get a chance to stretch my legs in such manner.... I think however, people looked at me as if I was a nerd rushing along to be early.

The flight from LAX to SYD was a long 14 hrs. Though on an overnight flight it doesn't seem long until morning breaks when naturally there is a significant change happening in the day, you come to naturally want to have a significant change in what you are doing (i.e. you want to land).

At SYD, there is a bizarre procedure where even though you are going directly onto another flight (to MEL), they make you go through security again! Note to self: if you place your luggage on a table to rearrange things, make sure it isn't the table that is used to do random explosives checks. The officials might decided to do a conveniently random check on you and your luggage.

A little secret about SYD: there are showers tucked away near the duty free shops... take advantage of them if you want to arrive in Melbourne smelling fresh and clean as opposed to having the smell of travelling for 26+ hrs. in temperatures that make you sweat!

Price Research II. Same product + different name = different price.

2010-03-17T17:14:00.000-04:00

Copyright 2010 Conan L. Hom

I hope you've read and found useful my previous posts on price research: "Price variations on the internet - bigger than you think" (Jan 1, 2010) and "Buying things... even a little bit of price research can help" (March 2,2010).

I'm returning to the situation when a vendor sells the exact same product under different names. This is done to position the product in different markets (read: target consumers). The vendor hopes to sell the product at different prices according to how much the average consumer in each target group is willing to pay. This is a form of price discrimination. This name changing is bad news for you because it can interfere with your price comparison search: If you search for the product under one name, the places where it is listed under the other name(s) may not come up. The vendors probably love this - so much for economic efficient world of perfect information.

There's no guarantee that you'll be able to stumble upon all the possible names a product is sold under. If the amount at money at stake is small, it might not be worth doing an extensive search (e.g. searching under product categories, product function, etc.). However, if you are about to fork over some serious cash, and you do happen to chance upon two or more products that seem to do the same thing, check the product specifications, and try to see who makes products. Don't be afraid ask for the information you need. If the product specifications match and they turn out to be made by the same manufacturer, you might seriously consider going for the lower price